August 19, 200916 yr Hi, I have forged some kitchen knives out of coil spring. I think they were made of 1090 or 5160. I have polished my blades up to 2000 grit. But the problem is that when I use them for cutting food, some stain (blackish stain) appear on the blade and can only be removed by sanding it with the 2000 grit. Washin do not remove those stain. The worst seems to be when I cut some onion. It make an effect similar to etching the blade. So, I would like to know if there is a way to protect the blade from this. tkx a lot
August 19, 200916 yr It looks like it's etching the blade because it is; certain foods contain various acids. You can wash the knife immediately after use to reduce the staining but this 'patina' is just part and parcel of using a plain steel knife in the kitchen.
August 20, 200916 yr A little black is not bad. Bought some of those high carbon kitchen knives. Wife put them in the dishwasher come out bright orange. Ken
August 20, 200916 yr The very few knives I have made were all for the kitchen or workshop and out of old springs. All of the kitchen knives have ended up with stains and we are well and truely over trying to get rid of them (the stains that is). Just make sure they are clean and oiled (some cooking oil on a cloth) between uses and they are just fine. Must have been really common before stainless became the standard.
August 20, 200916 yr Ah the carefree days of youth....We who are old enough still have to think back to the days when that was the norm. Come to think of it we used to have to spend a lot of time on preventive maintanence didn't we. We could sit around visiting while we polished and oiled everything(preventive or a whole lot more if restoring LOL) So is Stainless the problem with society today? Just Kidding, but you gotta love a good patina.
August 20, 200916 yr My recommendation is to "season" the blade just like any other traditional blacksmith made kitchen utensil. That way you have a deliberate durable black patina finish that is food safe.
August 20, 200916 yr Cast iron and other Iron cooking utensils are "seasoned" by applying cooking oil and heating:Cast Iron Cookware Seasoning CareSeasoning and Caring for cast iron cookwareLearn about Cast-Iron Pans, How to season and use cast-iron pans and skillets, Cast Iron Skillets, Cast Iron Cooking, Cast Iron Cooking RecipesCast-iron cookware - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
August 21, 200916 yr Author hehe yea I will be careful ! In fact, it will soften the blade only if it is High carbon steel that has been heat treated to form martensite. Heating will make carbon diffuse out of the martensite microstructure and thus, decreasing the amount of martensite and form some pearlite wich is more ductile than martensite.
September 9, 200916 yr The trick with carbon kitchen knives, is to hand wash and oil immediately... and enjoy the "stain". Stainless was developed for people who like perpetual shiny, but it isn't the same as plain carbon steel.
September 9, 200916 yr It's already been said, but yep, enjoy that patina and welcome to carbon steel kitchen utensils :)
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